There are few figures who traipse about town more than chefs. They have to know where to source fabulous ingredients, distinctive decor, and (naturally) provide recommendations to friends and family. Therefore, in our new series, ‘One Chef, One City’, we ask MICHELIN culinary masters to open their address book and dish on where they go beyond the kitchen. Below, we chat with Paris-based sisters Tatiana and Katia Levha, chef-owners of Double Dragon and Le Servan, both in the 11th arrondissement, where they go for life’s indulgences.
Le Servan © Le Servan
Double Dragon’s crispy suckling pig © Shirley Garrier/Double Dragon
For Ingredients: Terroirs d’Avenir has an épicerie with a wide selection of all kinds of dry goods that are organic and very well sourced. They also have a bakery, a butcher, [and] we buy our vegetables there, [along with] olive oil for the house, hazelnuts, and chili peppers [piments].
For a Vitamin-C boost: There’s a boutique called Lemon Story in the 18th that specializes in citrus fruits and products. It’s run by a woman who has over 100 varieties of citrus in the south of France. It’s really exceptional and we buy all of our citrus there. She sells jams—the calamansi is really good—different kinds of limoncello, and some fermented, salted citrus. Our favorite are the Meyer lemons.
Stay nearby: The rooms at Le Pigalle Paris dispense with most of the luxury-hotel trappings and focus on what matters: inviting spaces (whether small or large) with iPads and turntables with enough music to get you through the night. The experience is rounded out with plentiful personality through modern and vintage artwork, objets, books, and furnishings. From Є168
Le Pigalle Paris
Get Baked: We usually go to Tapisserie, the pastry shop of One Star and Green Star Septime. They have the best lemon tart and also one of the best galette des roi. We go to Ten Belles for our bread, which we also use at the restaurant, and like going there for coffee and a chocolate chip cookie.
Say Cheese: It’s hard not to buy everything at Fromagerie Quatrehomme. We usually go there for Christmas to buy a cheese platter, but we get raclette since it’s the season. They also have the best brie and many [cheeses] with truffles and dried fruits.
Stay nearby: Maison Breguet in the 11th arrondisement lies within a former industrial building in the Bastille providing a distinctive backdrop. However, don’t let the lo-fi vibes take center stage as unusual features like a private garden and wellness area with a sauna, hammam, and swimming pool lend an air of ease and elegance. The rooms start out compact, but they’re more than comfortable enough, equipped with high-end linens and Nespresso machines — and if you need more, there are deluxe rooms, adjoining rooms, suites, and even a separate three-bedroom house with its own small garden. From €410
Maison Breguet
Brunch + Lunch: We usually eat pho around 11 a.m. in a Vietnamese place called Song Heng. It’s located in the oldest building in Paris and is very authentic and very small. They only have one kind of pho—beef—and, for us, it’s the best in Paris.
Late Night Dining + Drinks: Bistrot des Tournelles is a new place that serves pretty late. It’s very classic food—meat with French fries, very French—and very well made. They have a nice wine selection and the last time we visited, we drank a very good fleurie from Dutraive.
Stay nearby: Imagine the Parisian equivalent of Studio 54 shutting its doors for a renovation and reopening as a luxury boutique hotel. With us? If so, you’ve got the basic idea of what Les Bains Paris is all about. In the late 1800s it was a public spa, and by 1980 Les Bains Douches was a bona fide den of celebrity-studded louche behavior. Now, the bedrooms are soothing, light-filled havens that promise to restore you to health and sanity, no matter what you’ve been up to the night before.
Les Bains Paris
Les Mots à la bouche © Les Mots à la bouche
Print Matters: Right around the corner from our restaurants is Les Mots à la Bouche, an LGBTQIA+ bookstore with a great selection of feminist books, magazines, and children’s books.
Chicly Clad: We buy clothes in a shop called Royalcheese. It’s got a nice selection and the pieces are unisex, durable, good quality, and responsibly-made. The last thing I [Tatiana] bought was a Patagonia bag, and I [Katia] a pair of Redwings and really comfortable Rototo socks.
Kid Friendly: From the Beaubourg Museum (Centre Pompidou), you can see the whole of Paris, and it’s a nice place to go with kids because there’s a big activity area. We like going to all of the parks, like Jardin de Luxembourg, the Tuileries, and Jardin de Plantes. We also like to take the kids to Le Musée en Herbe.
Stay nearby: Hôtel Fabric Paris’s 33 rooms are bring the wow factor from room size to the industrial windows letting sheets of light pour into every space. The tiled bathrooms are a particular delight, complete with oversized rain showers and L’Occitane bath products. Another plus? There is a dedicated gym and some yoga spaces, in addition to a Les Bains de Marrakech spa which makes clever use of the former warehouse’s surplus space. From €260
Paris viewed from the Beaubourg Museum © Elodie Gutbrod/Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris
Hero image: Double Dragon and Le Servan chefs-owners Tatiana and Katia Levha
© Shirley Garrier
